(Photo : Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: The Weeknd performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.
Aside from Tom Brady's 7th Super Bowl title, one of the most talked-about Super Bowl LV moments was The Weeknd's upbeat performance during the halftime show, where he evoked a bright cityscape theme.
During the Super Bowl halftime show, neon lights lit the Raymond James Stadium that reminded of the Las Vegas Strip scene at night. The 30-year-old Canadian performer then stepped out of a shiny convertible to begin his performance.
The Weeknd was dressed in black pants, wingtip shoes, and his signature red blazer covered in sequins. He opened the show with the song "Starboy," where he was accompanied by a choir dressed in white robes but was wearing lit-up eye masks. His second song was "The Hills."
The Canadian performer also performed one of his singles, "Can't Feel My Face," wherein he slipped into a gold-mirrored maze packed with similarly dressed dancers who were wearing full-faced bandages that the singer himself had worn in his public appearances lately as part of his performance art, C.B.S. reported.
The Weeknd ended his 13-minute halftime performance with his smash single "Blinding Lights," after performing hits like "Save Your Tears" and "Earned It."
The Weeknd performed his closing song on the field, wherein he inserted between rows of bandaged dancers. The song references Sin City, which is the nickname for Las Vegas.
After a decade of a recording career, The Weeknd has won three Grammy's, and in 2022, he will have a global tour based on his latest announcement.
The Weeknd's real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfa, a 30-year-old native of Toronto, Canada.
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Super Bowl LV Halftime Show
The Super Bowl Halftime Show has been considered one of the music industry's premier showcases. It features top performers, artists like The Rolling Stones, Prince, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga throughout the decades.
According to The New York Times, the show at halftime this year featured the Weeknd, who performed not only to the estimated 100 million viewers on the United States television but also to thousands at the stadium itself.
But compared to the usual attendance, this year, the Raymond James Stadium that hosted a Super Bowl for the first time was more than half empty.
The National Football league (NFL) limited in-person attendance to 25,000 individuals as part of the league's safety protocols to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. Empty seats were filled with 30,000 cardboard cutouts of fans.
Before the kickoff, singer-writer H.E.R. sang "America the Beautiful" and played an electric guitar, while country artist Eric Church and R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan had a duet performance of the "Star-Spangled Banner," the United States of America National anthem, Billboard reported.
The two exhibited their vocal uniqueness as fireworks boomed overhead.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old poet who wowed the audience during President Joe Biden's inauguration last month delivered a pre-recorded poem regarding the three pandemic heroes, a Marine veteran, an intensive care nurse, and a teacher.